7 months in...

I’ve now been working as an NQP Band 5 SLT for exactly 7 months. It is also exactly 11 months since I was offered the job – this time last year I was writing the application form, preparing for the interview and not thinking I had a flying chance at getting a job in the exact areas I wanted to work in 10 minutes down the road from me. But get it I did – so SLT students, apply early and keep positive! I was worried it would go against me that I wasn’t yet qualified and needed to wait for my HCPC etc. However, it turns out NHS recruitment processes are so slow that I actually started in the same week as someone else from my interview day who was already qualified and just waiting to start… references, CRB, occupational health really put the brakes on things!

Family, friends etc. have been asking if the job is what I expected. I think  the answer is yes – I don’t recall feeling shocked at any point so it must have been what I was expecting! There are a few things that placement didn’t prepare me for – the emails! The meetings! The phone messages! How are there so many?! – but overall I felt set up and ready to go. Learning the ropes obviously takes a bit of time, but settling in to any workplace you need to find out where the photocopier is, where to find the code for said photocopier,  how to navigate the tricky office politics of a “hot desking” system where some of the “hot desks” (which allegedly anyone can use) are actually not really available  so it is hard to tell if you are going to offend your new colleague by sitting in 'their' place.

Another contrast to placement was discovering that no one was interested in looking at my session plans or even wanted to know what I was vaguely doing in said sessions. “You’re qualified, we trust you!” my manager announced. Daunting. What if no one watches me for years and it turns out I’m going wildly wrong?! I could do anything I like in those sessions! Having to rely on gut instinct and  trust my knowledge and degree has been really important. Also, discussing my ideas with anyone who will listen – particularly other band 5s during peer supervision - has helped to reassure me that I’m doing things right. Peer supervision is also good to find out new ideas and get to know about resources I didn’t know existed.

I am spoiled in my setting as it is a huge team (one of the biggest in the country I believe) and as a result there is a massive pool of resources - both on the computers and also in clinic and the resources cupboard. Taking the pressure off having to search for or make anything has definitely helped me in the first few months. I am going to be brave and say it – I am an SLT and I hate laminating. Making resources is not something at which I excel. So not having to use that part of my brain is definitely a plus as with everything else I am juggling I think it would have been a step too far.

I work in early years clinic and mainstream primary schools. I love having a split post – the experience of each helps the other (I know how/when to transfer into the schools service; I have a better awareness of what the children being transferred to me may have received already). I also move around quite a lot – I have a main base but work in a different clinic and can hot desk (although this can be risky, as outlined above) at other clinics near my schools to write up notes at the end of the day on my way home. I love not being in the same place two days in a row – when I do have a tough day it’s good to have physical space before returning there, and having time to reflect on the experience before I do go back! It does require some extra organisation to check I have everything for the next day, but I’m not really a resources heavy therapist anyway, and I think it’s good for my development to learn to adapt to use available resources instead of being thrown if I don’t have something specific for a certain session. The weeks also go by quickly, and I get to mix with different therapists (and other healthcare and educational professionals) each day as I move around.

Although I’ve had a couple of low periods, where I feel that I’m fighting a losing battle and not making the difference I would like, overall I feel energised and positive about work. I don’t mind getting up in the morning. I feel well supported at work through line management and supervision, and informal support from colleagues, which I think makes a difference. I’m naturally reflective anyway after years of writing reflective essays both in my undergrad and of course during the PGDip, but I do find it more important during these “down” points to reflect on how far I’ve come. Last week I had a school visit to see one of my clinic caseload in his nursery class. Afterwards I met with the SENCo, and also caught up about a few other children I work with who attend that school. I came out 45 minutes later and realised I’d just given advice about SA2s, IEPs, referring to other professionals, long term prognosis, how to support these children best in the classroom – without preparing in advance, because I didn’t need to. That information is fresh in my head now, and I’m confident to share it. 6 months ago I didn’t even know what an SEN panel was. That realisation, along with the fact that the teacher would turn to me for that advice, really helped me see how much I’ve learned in a relatively short space of time.

How are you other NQPs getting on in your positions? Would love to hear about the highs and lows and any tips and tricks you’ve picked up along the way!